More To Come
by DeathandJunkfood
Summary: The first sunrise after a big event always feels strange. You can't quite believe the world is still spinning, the sun is still shining. Ginny sits at the top of the Astronomy Tower, and tries to convince herself she's alright. Luna tries to explain her perspective."There was a terrible battle and people you love died and you're up here, watching the sunrise, because you're brave."


**_A.N. For the Houses Competition._**

 ** _House: Slytherin.  
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 ** _Category: Drabble.  
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 ** _Prompts: Sunrise.  
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 ** _Word count: 593_**

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 _ **Disclaimer... these characters belong to JKR.**_

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The first sunrise after something big always felt different. Later, Ginny would remember this sensation the morning after her wedding. The morning after her children were born. The morning after the Holyhead Harpies won their first game with Ginny on the team.

The first sunrise let you know the world was still spinning, that life went on and on and on.

The first sunrise was a promise of more to come.

It was a half let-down, half still-excited feeling that started at her toes and ended in her heart.

At the top of the Astronomy Tower, Ginny kicked her bare feet out over the edge, letting the breeze race up her legs.

The grounds were scarred and wrecked, and there were a few dark smears on the lawn that Ginny didn't look at too closely. Up here, it felt like flying, the wind tugging at her hair, and the sun turning her skin golden.

There was a Muggle story about that, Ginny thought. About a king, who turned everything to gold.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" someone said.

Ginny looked over as Luna settled herself next to her.

"It's destroyed," she replied, her voice a little too hard.

Luna just smiled. "Yes. But it's still beautiful."

"Maybe," Ginny allowed, turning back to the sunrise.

"It's not beautiful despite," Luna continued. The sun set fire to her hair. "It's beautiful _because_."

"Makes it hard to forget."

Luna tilted her head.

"Do you want to forget?"

"Of course not – no. But – maybe for a day. Or a minute."

Luna edged closer to her and wrapped an arm around her.

"Look," she said.

Thestrals were flying in front of the sun, above a school full of people who could see them for the first time. But the sun gilded their wings, and made them look like they were flying through fire, and Ginny reached out one hand, cupping the sun in it, and closed her eyes.

"Sometimes you have to make it through the fire to end up where you want to be," Luna murmured, smiling softly at the Thestrals.

"I don't want to be here."

"I know."

The sun rose higher. They were quiet.

"You're very brave," Ginny whispered as the sun skated over the lake.

"Yes, I suppose so," Luna said thoughtfully. "I don't suppose you really consider courage when you're using it. You're brave too, you know."

"I don't think so."

"It's sunrise, Ginny."

There was a touch of impatience in her voice, which was surprising in itself. Luna was not an impatient person. Ginny had never even heard her snap.

"There was a terrible battle and people you love died and you're up here, watching the sunrise, because you're brave."

The trees in the Forbidden Forest were burnished gold, and when Ginny saw them, she didn't see black cloaks and a limp body, she saw unicorns and twisted ancient trees and the fairies that lived in them.

The sun kissed her fingertips, turned the freckles on her wrists bronze, erased the blood on them.

"There'll be more sunrises, because of us," Luna reminded her.

Sometimes Luna's statements were eerily close to what Ginny had been thinking.

"There would've been sunrises if we hadn't won."

"Not like this."

This sunrise was beauty and pain and fire and falling angels . It was glory and love and it was a promise that would be kept one way or another.

"Come on," Luna said a moment later, offering her hand. "Breakfast is starting."

Ginny took her hand and let herself be pulled away from the sun.

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 _ **A.N. I'd love it if you let me know what you thought! And Happy Harry Potter Anniversary!**_


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